SVB Turtle Gravel Machine

Just imagine you could travel and take your house with you.

For as long as mankind started to explore, there was always a certain conflict between the urge to roam and the need to have a growing inventory of stuff at hand.

We can only imagine how early nomads must have envied the turtle, an animal that covers vast distances while carrying its house at the same time.

In fact the admiration for the turtle went so far that there are a number of indigenous creation myths which are based on the idea that the earth is basically carried on a massive turtle shell.

We would not go that far, but the fascination for this bulky looking being that effortlessly travels thousands of miles was the inspiration for us, when we were thinking about building an ultimate bicycle.

Our bike should be capable of supporting its owner in long distance bike packing adventures as well as sportive gravel rides or as a high-end commuter.

To us it was clear that a couple of requirements had to be met: the bicycle should be sturdy, made of steel, equipped with high-end parts, offer plenty of mounting solutions and everything should be easily maintainable.

After honing every detail, we are stoked to be able to present to you our SVB Turtle in a limited edition of 6 bikes!

The bike that can do it all!

The bike on which you will stick out as a real connoisseur.

The frame is a tig-welded construction of double butted 4130 chromoly. This makes the frame both comfortable and responsive. For vibration dampening reasons we decided on a carbon fiber fork which at the same time is so massive that you can easily mount some packing cages to its sides. And the frame itself also offers options galore for cages and screwed-on bags

A geometry which is sporty yet relaxed enough for long days in the saddle will make you feel at ease with rides over challenging terrain or to destinations far away.

We had the frameset varnished by Velociao, no other than Berlin’s own bicycle painting mastermind Robert Schmidt.

Just like you, we do not believe in loud logo bonanzas and so we decided on a subtle, rugged theme. The paint consists of 5 layers, of which the 3 main ones are black, silver and turquoise on top of each other. But the layers are disrupted by brush strokes and sanding, thus paying hommage to wild 1990s paintjobs which we grew to love through our vintage bike segment. At the same time there is a very practical reason: The use of your bike might inevitably result in some scratches. This will not destroy the optical impression of the paintwork but will add to its pattern. After all, those small scars can tell the story of your adventures and do not have to be hidden away in shame.

We found the overwhelming trend of cheap matte paintjobs on offroad bikes a bit dull so our frameset got some sheen to brighten up your day. And at a closer look you can discover some oceanic details emerging from the dark fading background of the lower frame.

On the inside, the frameset is covered with an excellent rust protection, to ensure its longevity. We would not advise you to actually dive with the SVB Turtle, but you do not have to be afraid of an occasional contact with water.

We decided for an external routing of the cables, because this allows you to make adjustments while being on the road and facilitates a full on replacement or repair when you are at a workshop. It also keeps the structure of the downtube intact and reduces stress riser points thus avoiding stress cracks.

Though the frameset is the backbone of a bicycle, the components are its flesh and muscles.

And we chose just the finest to get this bike moving:

A Campagnolo Ekar 1x13 Gravel groupset. The best in its class, with smoothest shifting and an unchallenged braking performance, period.

Cockpit and seatpost are fine Deda components with sotto-voce branding so they do not disturb the clean look of the bike. Here we decided for high-end lightweight Aluminium parts so you do not have to fear a suddenly failing part, just because your bicycle once toppled over.

As for the wheels, Fulcrum Rapid Red 5 are the choice to provide a buttery smooth rolling while offering plenty lateral stiffness and reliability at a surprisingly fair weight.

Fine tubeless Tufo Gravel Speedero tires are subtle and fast, both on and off the road.

The Selle Italia Saddle and Fizik Terra bar tape are comfortable and easy to clean from mud, sweat and tears.

To make the machine complete, we added some bicycle jewellery in the form of custom made brass bar end and ahead caps. They show the number of your limited edition SVB Turtle as well as the motto of this series:

Miles to Memories!